Research methods: Experimental Methods

Question 1

What is the independent variable?

Answer 1

The variable that the researcher manipulates in order to determine its affect on the DV

Question 2

What us the dependent variable?

Answer 2

The variable that is being measured

Question 3

What are extraneous variables?

Answer 3

Variables (apart from the IV) that COULD have an effect on the DV

Question 4

What are confounding variables?

Answer 4

Variables (apart from the IV) that HAVE an affect on the DV

Question 5

What are laboratory Experiments?

Answer 5

Experiments that are carried out in a controlled environment, allowing the researcher to exert a level of control over the IV and eliminating any EV

• the researcher can measure change in DV which is caused by the manipulation of the IV
• participants are randomly allocated to a condition. This means that neither the participant nor the experimenter have any control over which condition the participant is placed in

Question 6

Advantages of laboratory experiments

Answer 6

+ highly controlled (easy to control EV and prevent them from becoming CV
+ cause and effect can be established between IV and DV
+ can easily be replicated (and if the same results can be replicated from the original study, then the results are reliable)

Question 7

Disadvantages of laboratory experiments

Answer 7

• strong chance of demand characteristics

- lacks mundane realism (because of high control over IV and EV) and therefore lacks ecological validity